My Senior Year

 

I still had my fake ID from East Jefferson High School, which said I was now 19 years old, so I applied for a weekend job as a bar back at Bruno‘s Tavern on Maple Street, the home of bartender legend, George Rankin, and second home to Fletcher, the police guard who protected Audubon Place residents.

This was great news on so many levels. As one could imagine, I obviously couldn’t stand still just being a bar back, so eventually I assigned myself the job of bouncer and late night bartender while the other bartenders were taking a break. Again, as one could imagine, I immediately started letting in all of my Uptown friends that I had made through Walker and Bill, including Arthur Fort, Tony Benjamin, John Denegre, Max Hart, Danny Pick, Larkin Selman, and so many others. My drink of choice became the gin and tonic, with a wedge of lime, and since I was making them for myself, I immediately developed a pretty good habit of drinking five or six each night. It was either Walker or Larkin that dubbed me “Guice and tonic” which, of course, I enjoyed.

During the weeknights, I learned from Walker and the others to tell my grandfather that I was going to Tulane University’s library to study, which was really an excuse to go out to the other bars around Uptown. I enjoyed being with my friends and drinking. And the girls were always available, not so much the girls in my grade, but a year or two behind, and they were indeed available. It was one of the first times I ever said to a girl, “Hey baby, can I buy you a drink?“ But what I was really saying was ‘I’m not secure enough with myself or who I am that I ac- tually have to get a few drinks in you so that maybe I can talk you into going home with me.’

It was also during this time that I met some of the older guys, the cool college guys like Bill “Dode” Dodenhof, David Shall, John Leach, Jimmy Rosen and Mark Dudley. It seemed like they were always out and they were always having fun. They were also members of Tulane University’s Delta Kappa Epsilon (Tau Lambda), known as Dekes. I somehow learned that the University of Alabama Deke chapter had won the coveted Lions Trophy, which was awarded each year for the best Deke chapter in the country. I also learned that Playboy Magazine had rated University of Alabama #2 for the prettiest girls in the nation, just behind USC, and that was good enough for me. And last but not least, their football team was the National Champion for that year -all perfect reasons for me to apply for admission, and somehow I was accepted.

I think it was Bill Dodenhof who told me I had to go visit the University of Alabama Deke House (Psi) one weekend for something called Spring Rush. I ended up staying as a guest at the home of Drew Kyle, who was my age, and also a senior in high school. We went to the Deke house together, in Drew’s mother’s car. Drew’s older brother was also a Deke. I was told to ask for a guy name Turner Williams, who I later found out was the Deke Rush Chairman. Drew and I were introduced to a number of absolutely gorgeous Alabama girls who were there for the Spring Rush weekend, as well. They were guests

of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. That weekend was an absolute blast, on every level imaginable. Right before I was leaving on Sunday, Turner Williams walked up to me and pinned a little triangular pin on my shirt, and said “Congratulations, Jeff, you are officially a Deke pledge. Always wear the gold facing upward, and always on a collared shirt.”

The pin was navy (azure), champagne (gold) and red (crimson). I almost crapped in my pants. My friend Drew got his pledge pin, too. I couldn’t wait to get home and tell Bill Dodenhof. When I saw him and showed him the pin, he replied “silly slope head!”

© 2022 Jeffrey Pipes Guice

My Wonder Years: A Book